If there’s a woody stem on the top of the avocado, pull or twist it off.
Hold the avocado in your non-dominant hand. With the paring knife in the other hand, very carefully cut the fruit in half lengthwise around the pit; insert the knife until it reaches the pit, then run the blade all the way around the avocado.
Hold one half of the avocado in each hand; twist and pull the two halves apart. Place the avocado halves on a cutting board and set the half with the pit in a kitchen towel to help keep it from slipping on the board.
Place the heel of a chef's knife over the center of the pit, as if you were going to slice into it. Lift the knife a few inches and give it a firm tap until it’s embedded in the top of the pit. Twist the knife to loosen the pit, then pull it out and discard it. Use your thumb to push the pit off of the blade.
Use the paring knife to cut the avocado into long slices, being careful not to cut through the skin.
To dice the avocado, cut it into slices as described above, then turn the fruit and make cross-wide cuts.
Use a spoon that’s roughly the width of the avocado to gently scoop out the sliced or diced flesh. Insert the tip of the spoon where the skin meets the flesh and push it into the fruit as close to the skin as possible.
Notes
Tip
If you’re using the avocado for smoothies, avocado mayo, or guacamole, you can skip the slicing and dicing and move right onto the scooping.